The following is the response to a series of questions sent to Reimagining Public Safety Co-leads Eric Rosario & Karen Yearwood. Text from the working group co-leads is in red, as it appeared in the original response. Supplemental materials are included beneath for additional context.
We’re writing here to respond to several of your questions. We appreciate your inquiry, as it is our goal to represent a process that has integrity, serves the needs of the community, and is respectful. You’ll see that there are a few questions we did not answer, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to respond directly about individuals on the working group. The report lists the working group members who participated throughout this process, which may differ from those initially asked. We found that all members of our working group were thoughtful, respectful participants who care deeply about our community and its safety.
At the end of the day I think we can agree that increasing the safety of our community is the ultimate goal, and that this report is an approach we and the working group agree will do so.
Hello. As the coleads of the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group, I was hoping you could address some questions I have.
On what basis was the membership of the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group chosen? The membership was listed as Eric Rosario, Lieutenant Scott Garin, Sergeant Tom Condzella, Sergeant Mary Orsaio, George McGonigal, Ducson Nguyen, Laura Lewis, Travis Brooks, Mar’Quon Frederick, Savannah Gonzalez, John Guttridge, Amos Malone, Luca Maurer, Thaddeus McClain, Yasmin Rashid, Amir Tazi, and Karen Yearwood.
The City of Ithaca, primarily previous Mayor Svante Myrick named this working group, he was charged to do so via the resolution adopting the initial Reimagining report in March of 2021. (page 3 of this document https://www2.tompkinscountyny.gov/files2/2021-04/Master%20Final%20Document%20City%20of%20Ithaca.pdf)
Is the Amos Malone that has been serving on the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group the same Amos Malone who was charged with attempted rape and convicted in an assault against his wife in 2002?
Is the Thaddeus McClain that is a member of the Working Group the same Thaddeus McClain that has been arrested for home invasion robbery & assault?
Why have the Working Group’s activities not been made available in any form since its inception? Specifically, why have no records of any Zoom meetings been made available to the public to review, or minutes of those meetings been made available?
City staff provide updates on progress once per month at Common Council in addition to updates on the website.
The City of Ithaca believes that the work of redesigning the City department requires intensive deliberation and consensus-building and trust-building. This work is best done outside of public meetings and there was no charge given for these meetings or specific details resulting from the meetings to be made public. The Working Group is committed to transparency and details on both process and decision making will be published alongside recommendations in the report.
Why were the members of the Working Group asked not to speak publicly about the activities of the Working Group?
Members of the working group committed to a process that involved group consensus-building, we all agreed that speaking publicly on the process and the details while we were doing that work would break the trust of others in the group or sway public opinion before all decisions were made or suggestions finalized. The Working Group agreed that the two of us would serve as the Working Group’s spokespersons.
Are these closed meetings of a committee membership under instructions not to speak about their activities part of what you would consider a transparent process?
This is not an official public committee, it was initially described in the City’s resolution as a “task force.” The report is a transparent reflection of the process, decision making, and work completed by the working group in those meetings.
Page 9 of the draft report states that ‘The vicious legacy of White supremacy is a root cause of suffering across the globe.’ Do you, as coleads of the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group, agree with this statement?
Rather than commenting on a statement from another report, we can share that we believe strongly in righting historical wrongs and creating systems that support equity regardless of skin color and race.
Is the Reimagining process aimed at addressing white supremacy as a root cause of suffering?
No. The Reimagining process is aimed at addressing inequitable policing and disproportionate minority contact with and negative outcomes from the criminal justice system in our community.
How does the new department resulting from the implementation of Recommendation #1 intend to recruit and retain officers when the Reimagining process itself is a primary cause of recruitment & retention issues?
This report will recommend a structure for a department that looks at public safety differently, expanding the number of people who may be interested in positions and looking to be a part of that type of organization. We believe that a new department operating under a different charge will attract interested candidates from many different backgrounds.
How many officers have left the Ithaca Police Department since the adoption of the Reimagination process?
We do not have this information, you would have to refer to the City of Ithaca staff for those details. Eric Rosario & Karen Yearwood
A representative of the Ithaca Police Benevolent Association (IPBA) responded to Ithaca Crime’s request for comment that “Since the onset of the “reimagining” process, we have lost 7 PBA Members to retirements and resignations, with one on a long term leave of absence likely never to return. We anticipate at least two more retirements in the coming months.”
When asked how many officers had joined the department via lateral transfer since the beginning of Reimagination, an IPBA representative responded “0.”
“Regardless of a new contract and a $15,000 hiring incentive, no aspiring Police Officer wants to be treated as a public spectacle. As we have already seen, aspiring Officers would rather go somewhere where they are treated like professionals and not ostracized from the community they serve by the very employer they signed up to work for.”
The hiring incentive, paid in $5,000 increments over three years, expires in June. It is unclear if it will be renewed once it lapses, as no officers from other departments have availed themselves of the offer thus far.
Concerns regarding the makeup of the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group were the subject of an open letter posted on Ithaca Crime on August 8th, 2021 after having been sent to the Ithaca Common Council, Ithaca Community Police Board, Tompkins County Legislature and Reimagining Public Safety Working Group.
The text in the draft report regarding white supremacy is also found on Center For Policing Equity’s website under ‘Our Principles.’
